Method for dying garments and textile line therefor

ABSTRACT

In a method for dyeing garments in a dyeing machine by means of a dyeing bath, the garments are previously connected to one another to form a line, and the line is moved through the dyeing bath. The invention also concerns a textile line for use in a dyeing machine, in which the line comprises garments connected to one another.

The invention concerns a method for dyeing garments in a dyeing machineby means of a dyeing bath. The invention further concerns a textile linefor carrying out this method.

Two fundamental procedures are known for imparting a specific color to agarment. In the first procedure, a material web is produced fromcolor-dyed threads, or a material web is first produced from white,undyed threads and is then dyed the desired color. The colored materialweb is then fabricated into a garment. Dyeing is generally performed bythe manufacturer of the material webs, and dyeing of the material webcan occur in various ways. It is usual to perform dyeing in a linedyeing machine. For this, a material web is formed into an endless linebetween 10 and 500 m long that is pulled through a dyeing bath incirculating fashion within the line dyeing machine for a period ofone-half to one hour. The temperature is usually approximately 98° C.,but in high-temperature machines it can go as high as 130° C. Instead ofbeing a single material web, the line can also be assembled by sewingtogether individual material web pieces (cf. DE 22 38 765 A).

The advantages of this dyeing method are that consistent and gentle andreproducible dyeing is obtained. It is disadvantageous, however, thateven before fabrication, customers must decide in terms of colors andmust lay in corresponding stocks. The customers thus can react only indelayed fashion to color trends.

A second procedure has thus become established more recently. In thisprocedure, it is not the material webs before fabrication that are dyed,but only the completed garments. Dyeing is performed in drum dyeingmachines similar to large washing machines. Up to 300 kg of garments canbe introduced into such machines for one dyeing operation.

The advantage of this procedure is that dyeing is performed much laterand thus closer to the time of sale, and it is thus possible to reactmore quickly to new color trends. This must be set off, however, againstthe fact that the dyeing quality and reproducibility attained with thefirst procedure by dyeing material webs is not achieved. In addition,dyeing in drum dyeing machines can be performed only at 98° C. Garmentsmade of materials that require a higher dyeing temperature are thereforeexcluded from this procedure. In addition, facilities that dye completedgarments in drum dyeing machines generally do not have the experience toperform subsequent textile finishing. The reason for this is that theydo not know what treatment the manufacturer of the undyed material webshas already carried out. This knowledge is particularly important interms of coordinating the chemistry and the individual working stepswith one another. Final setting, appret, and finishing are therebyoptimally matched.

It is thus the object of the invention to make available a dyeing methodwith which on the one hand color trends can be quickly reacted to, butwhich on the other hand ensures consistent, gentle, and reproducibledyeing.

According to the present invention, this object is achieved in that thecompleted garments are connected to one another into a line beforedyeing, and the line is moved through the dyeing bath. The garmentsshould preferably be connected into an endless line which is then movedin circulating fashion through the dyeing bath, this usefully occurringin a line dyeing machine as commonly used for the dyeing of materialwebs.

The basic idea of the invention is thus to constitute a line from aplurality of fabricated garments, and then to dye that line like a lineconstituted from a material web. The advantages of dyeing completedgarments are thus combined in particularly advantageous fashion with theadvantages of dyeing material webs. Since dyeing occurs only afterproduction of the garments, it is possible to react flexibly to newcolor trends. The fabricator need not stock a large number ofdifferently dyed materials, i.e. his inventory is reduced. In contrastto dyeing by means of drum dyeing machines, the quality of the dyeingwith the method according to the present invention is comparable to theline dyeing of material webs, i.e. it is consistent and gentle andreproducible. At least with larger loads, substantially fasterproduction is possible. In addition, the method according to the presentinvention is more flexibly applicable, since line machines can beoperated even at higher temperatures of up to 130° C.

Dyeing can furthermore be performed in conventional dyeing facilities,which usually can also perform all the additional textile finishingmethod steps in the same facility so that transport to other facilitiescan be eliminated. The method is thus, despite its proximity to themarket, more cost-effective than the known method.

In principle, no limitations exist as to how the individual garments areconnected to one another. It is advantageous, however, if they areconnected to one another in the direction of their greatest longitudinalextension, i.e., for example in the case of trousers, the open ends ofthe trouser legs and the waistband, and in the case of skirts the hemand the waistband. Advantageously, the garments should in each case beconnected to one another in mirror-image fashion, i.e. for trousers, twopairs are connected to one another either at their waistbands or at theopen ends of their legs, and so on alternatingly.

There are also essentially no limitations in terms of the manner inwhich the garments are connected to one another. For example, thegarments can be temporarily sewn to one another; the sewing can also belimited to specific regions so that openings remain into the interior ofthe garments. Instead of or in combination with temporary sewing,respectively opposite loops can also be temporarily sewn onto thegarments, if such loops are not already present as belt loops. The loopsare then connected to one another, for example, by being tied withplastic cords.

To allow the line made up of the garments to be used in existing linedyeing machines, it should have a length of at least 10 m, preferablybetween 300 and 500 m.

The subject matter of the invention is furthermore a textile line foruse in a dyeing machine, in particular a line dyeing machine. Accordingto the present invention, the line comprises garments connected to oneanother that preferably form an endless line. The garments can beconnected in the manner already described above.

1. A method for dyeing garments in a dyeing machine by means of a dyeingbath, wherein the garments are previously connected to one another toform a line, and the line is moved through the dyeing bath.
 2. Themethod as defined in claim 1, wherein the garments are connected into anendless line, and the line is moved in circulating fashion through thedyeing bath.
 3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the line isdyed in a line dyeing machine.
 4. The method as defined in any of claim1, wherein the garments are respectively connected to one another inmirror-image fashion.
 5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein thegarments are temporarily sewn to one another.
 6. The method as definedin claim 1, wherein respectively opposite loops are temporarily sewnonto the garments, and the loops are connected to one another.
 7. Themethod as defined in claim 6, wherein the loops are tied to one another.8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the garments are connectedinto a line having a length of at least 10 m, preferably 300 to 500 m.9. A textile line for use in a dyeing machine, in particular a linedyeing machine, wherein the line comprises garments connected to oneanother.
 10. The line as defined in claim 9, wherein the line isendless.
 11. The line as defined in claim 9, wherein the garments arerespectively connected to one another in mirror-image fashion.
 12. Theline as defined in claim 9, wherein the garments are temporarily sewn toone another.
 13. The line as defined in claim 9, wherein respectivelyopposite loops are temporarily sewn onto the garments, and the loops areconnected to one another.
 14. The line as defined in claim 13, whereinthe loops are tied to one another.
 15. The line as defined in claim 9,wherein the garments are connected into a line having a length of atleast 10 m, preferably 300 to 500 m.